It has been nearly five years since Tottenham Hotspur last qualified for the Champions League, with their adventure under Harry Redknapp an enthralling ride that saw the explosion of Gareth Bale into a top European talent - but how does Spurs' current side compare to that 2010-11 line-up?

Spurs fans will delight in telling their Arsenal rivals that they are the only other London side apart from Chelsea to make it to the Champions League quarter-finals this decade, and though they have flirted with claiming another spot in Europe's premier club competition, most famously when they were cruelly denied a place when Chelsea won in 2012, still they are left waiting.

With Tottenham having trialled two managers since Redknapp, both of whom failed to deliver that coveted fourth spot, it is now Mauricio Pochettino's task to bring the Champions League back to White Hart Lane.

The Argentine has impressed this season, as he has brought through academy graduates while keeping Spurs in the hunt for the top four. However, a 3-0 loss to Manchester United last weekend leaves the Lilywhites at the back of the chasing pack, and hopeful rather than expectant when it comes to finishing in one of the qualification spots.

Below we list the first-choice side from both the 2010-11 season and the current campaign, before putting together a combined eleven to see which team has the most representatives. Players with the most appearances are selected in the 2010-11 side, with the exception of Ledley King, while Pochettino's recent settled starting line-up is picked for the latter side:

Hugo Lloris (2014-15): Tottenham's current number one is a world class goalkeeper, perhaps the club's best since Ray Clemence many, many years ago. Gomes had one outstanding season, but it wasn't 2010-11, as evidenced by his red card against Inter and fumble at home to Real Madrid.

Kyle Walker(2014-15): Walker edges right-back over Alan Hutton, who shared full-back duties with Vedran Corluka. The Englishman is a massive threat going forward, though the other two are probably the stronger defenders.

Ledley King (2010-11): He only played nine games that season, but the Spurs captain got the Champions League football he deserved. What Spurs would do to have even a half-fit King available today.

Jan Vertonghen(2014-15): The Belgian international just about makes the cut above William Gallas, who played more games than any other Spurs centre back in 2010-11. His quality on the ball and ability to push forward are two major strengths, while a partnership with King should iron out those recent defensive lapses.

Benoit Assou-Ekotto(2010-11): Likely to be another controversial choice - there isn't much in it between Assou-Ekotto and Danny Rose, both are way better going forward than they are at defending. Have to go with the Cameroonian though purely because, although he always looked like making mistakes, throwing stepovers on the edge of the box, the amount of goals he gave away (that season anyway) was minimal.

Aaron Lennon(2010-11): These were the days when Lennon still looked like he could go on and become a really, really top winger. Sadly, he has failed to kick on and is currently on loan at Everton, ahead of a probable summer departure. Still, who can forget that run for Crouch's San Siro winner?

Nabil Bentaleb(2014-15): Algerian international youngster Bentaleb had been one of Tottenham's best players in 2015 until the poor performance against United, and he has already demonstrated ability far beyond the pure destruction Wilson Palacios brought to the club.

Luka Modric(2010-11): Arguably Tottenham's best central midfielder since Paul Gascoigne, his departure for Real Madrid in 2012 was a big blow for the club. They've struggled to replace his quality, even if Bentaleb and fellow academy graduate Ryan Mason have impressed this year.

Gareth Bale(2010-11): This was the year of THAT hat-trick at the San Siro, when Bale moved from a sometime left back to an all-out wonder winger. Things would only get better for the Welshman too, before he too earned a move to Madrid, albeit for a ginormous fee.

Rafael van der Vaart(2010-11): A close call between the Dutchman and Tottenham's current playmaker Christian Eriksen, but you'd have to give it to the now-Hamburg man, whose 15 goals in 36 games after arriving from Real (that makes a change doesn't it!) caught the imagination of the Spurs faithful, and are more than the Dane has managed this year.

Harry Kane(2014-15): Another of the clear winners for the current side, Kane has 26 goals for Spurs this season, compared to the 11 Crouch managed in 2011. Spurs would certainly benefit now from the alternative options they had under Redknapp though, with Robbie Keane, Jermain Defoe and Roman Pavlyuchenko all on the club's books.

Results - The current Spurs side has five players in a combined line-up, though it might have been fewer had Sandro and Michael Dawson played more games in 2010-11. Still, it goes to show that Tottenham's current crop still possess some real talent, and if you elected to play Nacer Chadli instead of Lennon and select Eriksen instead of Van der Vaart, it may be even better for the 2014-15 group.

Che Thomas

Che is an Englishman abroad unable to cut the apron strings tying him to the crazy world of English football. As a writer and freelance journalist, he has covered matches and cultural events from across the globe all with the intention to inform, entertain and provoke debate. Just as smitten with music, film, and photography, though fully aware of the fact that nothing takes the place of that Saturday afternoon excitement down at N17 (even when it's actually on a Sunday!)